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Electrolytes for the deposition of metals

Metals and plastics, that are electrochemically coated with other metals, find applications in many areas of everyday life.

Substantial number of metal plating is done with the use of aqueous electrolytes. However, when higher voltages are applied, hydrogen and oxygen are produced from water as the result of its decomposition. Low electrochemical stability of water makes impossible to deposit some technically interesting metals, like aluminum, from aqueous solutions.

Some ionic liquids possess not only good electrical conductivity and negligible vapor pressure, but also a wide electrochemical stability window and therefore are interesting electrolytes for the electroplating with active metals.

Among other metals, aluminum has attracted a lot of attention in the last years in connection to electroplating from ionic liquids. Some processes have already been transferred to the pilot plant scale. Nowadays it is possible to deposit aluminum to other metals, e.g. iron, as well as onto plastics.

Within the framework of SCAIL-UP (FP7, http://scailup.eu), the joint project, funded by European Union, the process for the deposition of aluminum was successfully transferred to pilot plant scale. The technology for that was developed by our project partners. In this project, IOLITEC has developed a ready-to-use electrolyte for deposition of aluminum and provided 200 liters of it.

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Aluminum on copper

Aluminum on steel

Complex geometries

Other metals that could be deposited from ionic liquids are shown here. We would be happy to advice you on this topic.